


Once We're Out

by pyrotechnicgray



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Choose Your Own Adventure, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, Kinda, Knives, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Undercover, Violence, barely, main character in peril, what do you even put here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-22
Updated: 2014-07-22
Packaged: 2018-02-10 00:51:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2004636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyrotechnicgray/pseuds/pyrotechnicgray
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"In which Gamzee plans out a proposal amidst a daunting undercover mission."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hotel Mirror

**Author's Note:**

> This was our HSWC entry for the first round, "Butterfly Effect" !!! It was made by me, gamquius @ tumblr, and horsescience @ tumblr originally in a choose your own adventure format on Tumblr, so it was a group effort ! (Right here http://eqgam-mr1-2014.tumblr.com/ there are pictures 8]) 
> 
> But I think it'd be easier to go through in fic format, so here we are !  
> (Also, this is literally the 1st fic I worked on, and I wrote most of it, so. Pls show mercy)

_2024 SEPT 12 PM 5 03_

 Gamzee fiddles with his unkept hair in the dirty hotel mirror. He’s not really down with wearing a suit and trousers, let alone combed hair. He’s proud of that shit, man! No matter what Karkat says. But for this particular occasion, he guesses he could look sharp.

And maybe for another occasion. Gamzee’s thoughts drift to his own stone cold guardian angel. He and Equius have been together for a couple years by now? Who knows, they’ve known each other since, like, forever. Their families are tight since their dads are pretty much business partners.

Honestly, he should just get his shit together to marry the motherfucker. He doesn’t have much of a life plan, or whatever his dad’s buddies call it. Hell, he only has what, three socks? Four? He just wants to hold a motherfucker’s hand, pure and free, without them sweating about the indecency of it all. Literally.

The only questions are where and how. He likes the mountains, right?

Gamzee checks the clock.

\---

_2024 SEPT 12 PM 5 14_

Shit, time to bust. He grabs his suitcase and starts to head out the door when he remembers something. He should spruce himself up a bit! Gamzee strides to the dresser.

\---

**Dad's Handerkchief** or **Blue Boutonniere?**


	2. Boutonniere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You chose the Boutonniere !

Gamzee picks up the blue boutonniere and put it on his suit lapel. Kanaya said it makes him look dashing for once, and he guesses that she would know best! He puts the handkerchief in his case. 

He also grabs his 9mm pistol from underneath his pillow. Whoops. Would have gotten in trouble for that one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story will split later on because of your fashion choice, so proceed to Chapter 4 please


	3. Handkerchief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You chose the handkerchief !

Gamzee picks up the handkerchief and folds it to look vaguely presentable into his suit pocket. His dad said it would come in handy, so he’s just been using it to clean up soda spills. Super handy. He puts the blue boutonniere in his case.

He also grabs his 9mm pistol from underneath his pillow. Whoops. Would have gotten in trouble for that one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The story will split later on because of your fashion choice, so proceed to Chapter 4 please.


	4. Kingsbrook

_2024 SEPT 12 PM 5 32_

A man in a sleek suit is waiting patiently near a helicopter in, as far as he knew, the middle of nowhere. He shifts his new glasses nervously. Soon enough, a chipper “Hi!” sounds through his earpiece.

“Alright Equius, Gamzee’s almost there!”

“Thank you,” Equius responds. “Is everything prepared for our arrival?”

“Everything’s purrfect. We’ll see you soon!”

“See you soon.” The line cuts off.

After a moment, Equius gives a small huff and sits on the steps leading to the copter.

\---

_2024 SEPT 12 PM 5 40_

Not too long after, Equius sees a lanky figure striding over to him through the neverending dust blowing in the clearing. He sees that smiling face and feels just a little less twitchy.

“You’re late,” he says. As expected.

“Sorry brother, got into a bit of a bind” Gamzee says. Like always. He looks so much more … put together. Equius never could get used to it. He looks at him fondly before standing up and reaching his hand out.

“Time to go, sir.”

Gamzee notes that Equius almost looks like he’s smiling. He grins and clasps his hand.

\---

_2024 SEPT 15 PM 2 14_

“Alright pisstains, time to get this shit on the road.” Their barking leader stands proud in front of the cramped room, pacing back and forth. "Sollux, how does it look?"

The man in sweats and a t shirt, looking out of place in their group, brings up a view of the building they will be visiting on his laptop. Kingsbrook Hotel, dark, regal, and more like a fortress standing tall in the middle of swampy woods. Where some of the most secretive scientists in the country will reveal their new findings that night.

That also means something horrifically shady is going on. Hard to believe they learned about it, let alone going under "request" of Mr. Makara.  
"Still looks creepy as fuck," Sollux answers, zooming in onto the front of the building. "No cars at all. Looks like it'll be strictly invitee-only."

A voice pipes up from the corner of the room. "Why would anyone want to stay at that creepy old thing anyway? And why do we have to be the ones doing the boring stuff at this boring party." Nepeta pouts, looking like a lost cat.

"Not like Gamzee over there can handle himself in a fight!" the woman next to her exclaims in agreement.

Gamzee keeps on eating his skittles.

"That's why we make Equius tail him like a fucking hawk," Karkat says to Terezi.

"And how are we going to reach them in the freaking basement if they're in trouble while we’re uptop?"

Karkat falters. "We just- we just need to be there in time, whether or not a guy in a three piece suit gets a foot up their ass. "

Terezi folds her arms and goes silent for a few seconds. "Guys, this is stupid. There's no reason why Gamzee needs to go find out what those creeps are experimenting with. In Kingsbrook? Why would the boss give us this fishy ass job?"

Nobody has the answer to that. Mr. Makara is a secretive man, but if he’s sending Gamzee...

Equius is the one who breaks the tense silence. “We are not doing it out of choice. We were bound to come across something like this.” If they don’t do it, they’re at risk to lose their protection, which in their time, is more valuable than any 100 dollar bill.

He sighs. “We’ll just need to make the best of it. At the least, I will not fail to protect Makara.”

Gamzee sits up straight. “Yeah brother, it’ll be fine. We’ll get shit done and you guys just need to watch our motherfuck- (“Sir, language.”) -motherhecking backs. If Dad’s going to send me in… then shoot, can’t let the old man down.”

Silence.

After a moment, Terezi laughs. “Your optimism’s going to get you killed one day, Makara. That settles it. We have a party to crash.”

She raises her glass of scotch and grins a toothy smile. “To not fucking up.”

\---

_2024 SEPT 15 PM 9 51_

Nepeta goes through her assorted pile of finger sandwiches and hand-decorated sweets ravenously. People are probably staring.

The humongous dining room has circular tables scattered around and tables piled with food at the sides. Ominous looking curtains cover the stage at the front of the room. The grandiose stage makes it look more like a theater than a hotel. Nepeta nibbles on a cheese cube thoughtfully. She stands up to go to one of the less crowded spaces of the room. She spots a woman clad in a dark red dress eyeing the colorful landscape portraits hanging up over the cakes.

“So, how goes the husband?”

Terezi snickers a bit. Without turning away from the beautifully painted riverbank, she replies, “Enjoying the news, I believe.”

Great, Karkat’s done. Nepeta presses a hidden button on her calf. She lowers her voice slightly. “I don’t know how we’re going to get down without people watching. Where is it?” The crowds of people loudly talking about whatever is a blessing for communication, but not so good for being inconspicuous.

Sollux listens from a rundown diner at the outskirts of town. He takes a sip of his milkshake and eyes the floor plans of the hotel on his laptop. Thank god for blackmail. “You can get to the basement through the wine cellar. I’ll send everyone directions. It’ll probably be guarded as fuck past there, but there won’t be any guests to bother with.”

“Sollux, do you mean that’s a one way ticket to a possible hellpit?” said Karkat from the hotel security room. The unfortunate guard moans in his seat blearily. Everyone hears a muffled, “For fuck’s sake guy, could you kindly shut up for a second.”

“Why, that’s why we’re here and talking through earpieces, Karkat!

Karkat snorts and Sollux continues on. “Remember, we can’t get the cops involved until we know what we’re dealing with. I don’t have anything on the basement floor, but it looks like there’s a way out under the stage. Terezi, Nepeta, you guys better make sure the escape routes stay clear. Gamzee, Eq, you can get rolling during the intro speech.”

“Uhh, when’s that again?” Gamzee says into his punch cup.

“Right about…..”

\---

_2024 SEPT 15 PM 10 00_

“Welcome, people of the sciences, to our first ever official reveal of this nation’s most astounding advancements!”

“Now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go ! Depending on your choice, go to either Chapter 5: Boutonniere, or Chapter 6: Handkerchief


	5. Boutonniere Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you hopped over here from the Handkerchief story, the story only really splits up until farther along, (At "Now, Observe") but there's some small details that change the outcome. It's like find the difference 8)

_2024 SEPT 15 PM 10 14_

Equius wipes the blood off his hands onto the pants of the unconscious security guard. Looking around at the bodies lined around the dimly lit corridor, he hopes none of them died. That would be unfortunate.

He and Gamzee need to move quickly.

“Sir?”

Gamzee gives a “mhm” from down the corridor. He lets go of the man he was beating up and follows Equius.

They find an old elevator at the end of the hall blocked by a sign that says “EMPLOYEES ONLY”.

Their way to whatever was under Kingsbrook.

“Well, Eq, after you.”

\---

_2024 SEPT 15 PM 10 15_

The rumble of the elevator stretches on.

Equius looks silently at the shut doors. Everything was much too easy thus far. Mr. Makara wouldn’t send Gamzee for no reason… would he? He never really could understand what he was thinking. Like father like son, he supposes.

Gamzee brings him out of his thoughts with a cough.

“So… Equius?”

Equius? The last time Gamzee called him by his full name was when he broke his jaw boxing and Gamzee didn’t leave his bedside for a week.

“I’ve been thinking that we should go somewhere after this job and kick back a little. You’ve been working your ass off, brother!” True. Equius can’t remember the last time he got a good night’s sleep.

“... That would be lovely,” Equius admits.

Gamzee shuffles a little closer to Equius, enough to let their hands brush against each other.

“Somewhere quiet, near a lake and the mountains. Under the motherfu - hecking stars. Straight out of one of Karkat’s romcoms, ya’ hear?”

Equius’ mouth quirks into a small smile. “Awfully romantic for once, Maka-”

The elevator light shuts off.

They are plunged into darkness.

“Fiddle-”

\---

_2024 SEPT 15 PM 10 21_

Gamzee’s head is slammed onto the steel floor. Equius looks on in horror, stuck from under too many lackeys holding him down.

“Fuuuuck, brother, could you lay off, we didn’t touch the wine!”

“It’s not about the wine, Makara.”

A strangely high pitched voice rises from behind them. Equius and Gamzee try to look from their unfortunate positions, and soon enough, they see someone walk past their heads.

With bright green spats.

“Oh, Caliborn! Heyyy my brother,” Gamzee says nervously. “What have you been up to?”

Caliborn kneels on the ground in front of them. His green eye contacts were threatening for once in the dim light. “Not lying on the ground like a couple of sacked cows, is what.” He throws a middle finger and grins.

What is this brat doing here?

“Now that’s enough of stupid questions. Because you have something of mine. That is severely important.”

He stands up and starts walking out the door. “Guards! Handcuff him and sedate him. He’s coming with me.”

Nononono. Equius watches as Caliborn’s guards shove Gamzee against the wall. Equius squirms, trying to find out a spare gun or blade or something but they completely stripped him. He bristles, rage clouding his head, breath getting heavy as he tries to control it-

Suddenly, he feels something cold on his wrists. A click. A prick in his neck.

A few guards drag him off the ground and one shoves Equius out the concrete room.

Equius glances back at Gamzee’s terrified face. And the door shuts closed.

\---

_2024 SEPT 15 PM 10 24_

“Now. You must be wondering why I took you instead of Gamzee.”

“Not quite.” Equius is lying. They were walking through a disorienting crisscross of steel walls and iron doors that didn’t match the rest of the hotel.

“And how I planned this brilliant event! Well it is simple! I sent Makara’s father an anonymous message that he is invited to share in my exotic fruit and vegetable medley if he sends his son here!” Equius twitches. “The fool could never resist!”

Caliborn slowed down for a second, knowingly. “And of course, you would come along. Why go to you when you can come right to my doorstop!” He laughs irritatingly.

They enter another elevator, a larger one, more ornate than the one leading to the cellar.

“What do you want with me?” Equius’ words start to slur. He feels a headache coming on. Caliborn’s laugh doesn’t exactly help.

“It’s your blood, you pea brained imp. Probably unbeknownst to you, but your blood has very… mysterious properties. Good for you, not so good for me.”

“Now, shh,” Caliborn whispers as the elevator groaned to a halt. Equius’ eyes scream to shut. His legs start to fail as his consciousness fades away.

“We’re up next.”

\---

_2024 SEPT 15 PM 10 42_

At this rate, Terezi categorizes the science presentations as all bullshit.

She sighs. “Listen, I don’t know how you think this is a good idea.” The ten people disguised as guests keep their guns pointed at her and Nepeta. She can’t believe she let them get into this position. Way to lose her touch.

One of them with a nasty scar looks at them coldly. “Yeah? You’re the one with the gun pointed at her face.”

Terezi shows off a dangerous, bloody grin. “And you’re the one with the f-”

“Terezi!” Nepeta whispers harshly. “The stage!”

Terezi swings her head to the stage. When she makes out the scene, she swears under her breath.

Caliborn is up there with two guards holding up a very unconscious Equius.

“And now. For our most important reveal of the night!” Caliborn begins.

What the hell is he doing?

“Here, we have a man.”

Caliborn takes out a knife from inside his suit. It gleams cold and sharp in the stage lighting.

“Now. Observe.”

He suddenly stabs Equius in the side.

Equius is still out of it, but he has a pained expression. The already terrified audience screams, and Nepeta rages. Caliborn pulls the knife out swiftly, a smirk on his face, enjoying it too much.

The blood drips drips drips to to the floor.

"This man is not jus...” He pauses for a moment and pulls a phone out of his pocket, staring at a recent text.

‘the walls have eyes, brother. :o)’

Of course, this message leaves him worried, resulting in him calling in several more guards. None of them arrive.

Instead, one of the servers runs up to him. He looks shaken.

“Sir, almost all your guards have been killed. Shot through the head.”

The news and the message makes Caliborn feel uneasy.

After a few moments of silence the two guards on the stage fall like flies with two gunshots, and just a second later Caliborn is stumbling back, a bloodied knife in his eye.

“What the FUCK,” he yells, scrambling away from the stage.

Terezi and Nepeta take this distraction to knock the guards away and knock them unconscious with quick strikes to the head.

“Karkat, was that you?” Terezi says into her earpiece. Nepeta runs to the stage.

Karkat kicks the door of the vent he was hiding in. “Nope,” he yells down. “But someone stole my fucking limelight!”

He jumps down. “Where the fuck did that green asshole go? I’m gonna tear him a fucking new one!”

“Fuck him, get anyone who’s not shooting at you out of there!” Sollux yells through the earpiece.

\---

_2024 SEPT 15 PM 10 36_

His side hurts.

Equius falls in and out of consciousness as people yell around him.

Blurry shapes come into view. One is saying words at him, but he can’t understand what it’s saying.

“Holy fu……..just f…....ius...”

His eyes feel so heavy.

”....if you sta...…ry you Eq...I’ll …”

The last thing Equius feels is something put on his chest.

\---

_2024 SEPT 16 AM 10 52_

Equius awakens to the scent of burnt toast. He opens his eyes and sees a white ceiling.

“Heyy,  awake now, brother?”

Equius turns his head to see Gamzee with a plate of breakfast. He’s smiling softly at him.

“Gamzee?” Equius says. His voice sounds so raspy.

“Where are we? What happened?” He pauses. “What’s wrong with my side.”

“Whoa brother, we’re in the hospital next town over. Lemme tell you, the nurses are super nice,” Gamzee says in his strange, dreamy way. “Me and Nepeta were keeping you company. She stayed with you all night, yannow? I better call her with this bitchin’ good news.” Suddenly, something in Gamzee’s eyes change. He looks downtrodden.

“Caliborn… he knocked you out and knifed you. I might have lost my shit for a while and he might have lost an eye,” he says casually. Equius would be more alarmed if he wasn’t on painkillers.  “We got out of there quick, and Feferi’s looking in to it. Everything’s cool now, brother, you just get some R and R.”

Gamzee smiles again, truly. “Dad gave us all a paid vacation, can you believe that? For a whole two weeks. Says he’s feeling all sorts of bad for getting us mixed up in Caliborn’s shit.”

His eyes light up. “After all this is over and you get healed up, we can go to the lake and the mountains under the motherhecking stars, alright?”

After that mess, Equius would like nothing more. “Yes. Yes, we can do that.”

But he's forgetting something. Something so important that he needed to tell Gamzee and the others. What was it, again…?

“Gamzee...”

“Yeah, my brother?” Gamzee stops in the middle of holding a cube of watermelon to his mouth and looks at Equius expectedly.

But no matter how Equius tries, he can’t remember what he needs to say.

Gamzee waits patiently for a response.

Equius opens and closes his mouth, but nothing comes out. Well, fiddlesticks. The ruler of his heart is sitting right there and he’s making a fool of himself.

Equius sits up, ignoring the pain in his side, and gives Gamzee a kiss, missing his mouth a little but Gamzee closes his eyes nevertheless.

Whatever it is, it can wait for a day or two.

Equius shifts to look at his love and feels something on his hospital bed.

It feels like something small and soft, like petals.


	6. Handkerchief Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you hopped over here from the Boutonniere story, the story only really splits up until farther along, (At "Now, Observe") but there's some small details that change the outcome. It's like find the difference 8)

_2024 SEPT 15 PM 10 14_

Equius wipes the blood off his hands onto the pants of the unconscious security guard. Looking around at the bodies lined around the dimly lit corridor, he hopes none of them died. That would be unfortunate.

He and Gamzee need to move quickly.

“Sir?”

Gamzee gives a “mhm” from down the corridor. He lets go of the man he was beating up and follows Equius until something catches his eye. A watch,  lying pristine on the wrist of some guy. Sweet.

They find an old elevator at the end of the hall blocked by a sign that says “EMPLOYEES ONLY”.

Their way to whatever was under Kingsbrook.

“Well, Eq, after you.”

\---

_2024 SEPT 15 PM 10 15_

The rumble of the elevator stretches on.

Equius looks silently at the shut doors. Everything was much too easy thus far. Mr. Makara wouldn’t send Gamzee for no reason… would he? He never really could understand what he was thinking. Like father like son, he supposes.

Gamzee brings him out of his thoughts with a cough.

“So… Equius?”

Equius? The last time Gamzee called him by his full name was when he broke his jaw boxing and Gamzee didn’t leave his bedside for a week.

“I’ve been thinking that we should go somewhere after this job and kick back a little. You’ve been working your ass off, brother!” True. Equius can’t remember the last time he got a good night’s sleep.

“... That would be lovely,” Equius admits.

Gamzee shuffles a little closer to Equius, enough to let their hands brush against each other.

“Somewhere quiet, near a lake and the mountains. Under the motherfu - hecking stars. Straight out of one of Karkat’s romcoms, ya’ hear?”

Equius’ mouth quirks into a small smile. “Awfully romantic for once, Maka-”

The elevator light shuts off.

They are plunged into darkness.

“Fiddle-”

\---

_2024 SEPT 15 PM 10 21_

Gamzee’s head is slammed onto the steel floor. Equius looks on in horror, stuck from under too many lackeys holding him down.

“Fuuuuck, brother, could you lay off, we didn’t touch the wine!”

“It’s not about the wine, Makara.”

A strangely high pitched voice rises from behind them. Equius and Gamzee try to look from their unfortunate positions, and soon enough, they see someone walk past their heads.

With bright green spats.

“Oh, Caliborn! Heyyy my brother,” Gamzee says nervously. “What have you been up to?”

Caliborn kneels on the ground in front of them. His green eye contacts were threatening for once in the dim light. “Not lying on the ground like a couple of sacked cows, is what.” He throws a middle finger and grins.

What is this brat doing here?

“Now that’s enough of stupid questions. Because you have something of mine. That is severely important.”He stands up and starts walking out the door. “Guards! Handcuff him. He’s coming with me.”

Nononono. Equius watches as Caliborn’s guards shove Gamzee against the wall. Equius squirms, trying to find out a spare gun or blade or something but they completely stripped him. He bristles, rage clouding his head, breath getting heavy as he tries to control it-

Suddenly, he feels something cold on his wrists. A click.

A few guards drag him off the ground and one shoves Equius out the concrete room.

Equius glances back at Gamzee’s terrified face. And the door shuts closed.

\---

_2024 SEPT 15 PM 10 24_

“Now. You must be wondering why I took you instead of Gamzee.”

“Not quite.” Equius is lying. They were walking through a disorienting crisscross of steel walls and iron doors that didn’t match the rest of the hotel.

“And how I planned this brilliant event! Well it is simple! I sent Makara’s father an anonymous message that he is invited to share in my exotic fruit and vegetable medley if he sends his son here!” Equius twitches. “The fool could never resist!”

Caliborn slowed down for a second, knowingly. “And of course, you would come along. Why go to you when you can come right to my doorstop!” He laughs irritatingly.

They enter another elevator, a larger one, more ornate than the one leading to the cellar.

“What do you want with me?” He feels a headache coming on. Caliborn’s laugh doesn’t exactly help.

“It’s your blood, you pea brained imp. Probably unbeknownst to you, but your blood has very… mysterious properties. Good for you, not so good for me.”

“Now, shh,” Caliborn whispers as the elevator groaned to a halt.

“We’re up next.”

\---

_2024 SEPT 15 PM 10 42_

At this rate, Terezi categorizes the science presentations as all bullshit.

She sighs. “Listen, I don’t know how you think this is a good idea.” The ten people disguised as guests keep their guns pointed at her and Nepeta. She can’t believe she let them get into this position. Way to lose her touch.

One of them with a nasty scar looks at them coldly. “Yeah? You’re the one with the gun pointed at her face.”

Terezi shows off a dangerous, bloody grin. “And you’re the one with the f-”

“Terezi!” Nepeta whispers harshly. “The stage!”

Terezi swings her head to the stage. When she makes out the scene, she swears under her breath.

Caliborn is up there with two guards holding up Equius.

“And now. For our most important reveal of the night!” Caliborn begins.

What the hell is he doing?

“Here, we have a man.”

Caliborn takes out a knife from inside his suit. It gleams cold and sharp in the stage lighting.

“Now. Observe.”

Caliborn raises the knife menacingly, aiming for Equius’ side. Nepeta starts yelling and Terezi curses.

But before he could plunge it into his side, the guards on the stage drop like flies. Gunshots to the head. Equius steps away from their corpses. Caliborn looks alarmed, before a shape crashes into him from behind.

“What the FUCK,” he yells. Turning around, he sees Gamzee, eyes wide, grinning, and enraged.

“Hey MOTHERFUCKER.”

Gamzee starts to drag Caliborn off the stage by his bowtie.

Terezi and Nepeta take this distraction to knock the guards away, knocking them unconscious with quick strikes to the head.

Caliborn starts getting terrified. “Fucking let mE GO ASSHOLE.”  
Panicked, he stabs Gamzee's side.

That stops Gamzee for a few seconds, long enough for Caliborn to escape his grasp.  Terezi and Nepeta chase after him and Equius stumbles to Gamzee to help him stand.

His eyes follow the blooming red on Gamzee’s suit.

Karkat rushes to Gamzee’s side.

Seeing the wound, he yells, “Fuck. FUCK.” He runs his hands through his hair, tearing up angrily, until he looks at Equius in the eye.

“Get him out of here.”

\---

_2024 SEPT 15 PM 11 03_

Gamzee slams the car door and winces. Equius stares at the bloody handkerchief Gamzee is holding to his side in a panic. He’s sweating bullets. “Go, go, go, GO BROTHER.”

Equius ignores all driving laws for the first time in his life and crashes through the fence around the manor to the road. He thinks he ruined a flower patch. Shoot. Shoot.

Cars are rushing to get away from Kingsbrook. Some of them are probably already after them. “Sollux, where do we go?” Equius says into his borrowed earpiece.

“Uh, shit, keep on the right, there’s a side road leading to the city. Follow the signs and don’t fucking stop, I’m getting Feferi.”

Feferi. Equius gulps. What kind of mess did he get themselves into?

“Just get to the end of the tunnel you’ll reach and you’re home free. I swear. Those buffoons won’t know what hit them. How’s Gamzee?”

Equius can’t think of anything helpful to say, just keeps staring at the blood on Gamzee's side and Gamzee’s ruined suit and his face. “Uh. Bloody.”

“There’s a first aid kit in the glove compartment. I’ve got a few calls to make to clear this bullshit up, so you’re on your own for now, alright?”

Equius swallows again. “Alright.” He hears Sollux disconnect.

They’re entering the tunnel now. The orange lights along the side flicker across Gamzee’s face like ghosts.

Equius pours some hydrogen peroxide from the first aid kit onto the handkerchief with a shaky hand.

“Brother, we going to be ok?” Gamzee says in short breaths, taking the cloth.

“Y-yes, we’ll be fine.” He can’t tell Gamzee about what Caliborn said about his blood if he’s not the one bleeding out on the carseat. The wound doesn’t look that deep. He’ll be fine. Fine.

Gamzee believes him.

He peels off his shirt, presses the handkerchief onto his wound. “Auuugh dude, this stings like hell.” Squirming, he feels an object in his pocket.

Wait.

Gamzee smiles dazedly at an idea. Better now than never.

This isn’t good, Equius thinks, looking over at Gamzee. He’s getting delusional. “Uh… sir?”

“Hey, brother.” Gamzee whips out the watch he stole from that one guy. “Ta da.”

“Uh…” Equius stares at the silver watch in Gamzee’s hand. There’s blood on it.

“Eq , my fine-ass brother, I feel the sweetest connection between our righteous selves that makes my heart motherhecking sing like nothing else. Will you marry me?”

Equius stares, slack-jawed. The only sounds in the world are the car’s tires crunching over the road and the far off sound of …

cars chasing after them.

“Gamzee! Is now really the time?” Equius is flabbergasted. They are running for their lives and Gamzee is bloody and shirtless and Equius might be getting an ulcer from this mess.

“Well brother, my ma always said that the most important moments of your life come when your heart feels them.” Gamzee smiles. Oh my god.

Equius balks. He looks deep in thought, staring at the road in front of him. But then the corner of his mouth twitches up. And Equius starts laughing, more than Gamzee ever saw him.

Of course. It’s Gamzee. It’s so ridiculous but it’s Gamzee and he loves him so he can probably love this.

“Alright,” Equius says. A laugh escapes him again. “Yes. Yes, Makara, I’ll marry you!”

After processing it, Gamzee grins. Holy shit, he is bleeding out in a stolen car, but fuck it if he ain’t going to lay a quick kiss onto his most beloved.

Equius looks at his lover’s smiling face, bathed in flickering orange light, and it’s senseless, it’s ridiculous, but he never could have thought that this one man could give him such peace.


End file.
